2008 Woodie Awards
"Surviving the Storm" benefits over 400
Gustavo Gruber
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: News
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The seminar was conducted by Channel 4's meteorologists Lisa Spencer, Nancy Van Camp, Dan Thomas, and Snowbird. Tim Ross could not attend the seminar. However, he presented his severe weather tips via video clips.
According to Channel 4 News, the seminar attracted more than 400 hundred people.
Among those present at the seminar were Vol State President Warren Nichols, Vice President of Student Services Patty Powell, Vol State students, faculty and staff members as well as Sumner county residents.
President Nichols welcomed Channel 4 and the community to campus and talked briefly about what happened at Vol State during the April 2006 tornado, as well as the different plans of security that Vol State has today.
"Eight minutes after hearing the Tornado Warning from Channel 4, we had everybody on campus in shelters," Nichols explained.
Nichols also said Vol State is the only college in the nation that has a partnership with the American Red Cross to promote training among students, faculty and staff members.
The seminar started with the introduction of the three meteorologists that were present at the event.
"We thank you for putting your trust on us," said Spencer. "It is a great delight for us to be here."
Spencer gave a presentation about the statistic and consequences of the April 2006 tornado.
"The April 2006 tornado was the worst tornado outbreak that Middle Tennessee has had since 1974," said Spencer.
Eleven tornadoes touched the ground that day. Ten deaths were directly related to the tornado and $69 million and 700 hundred homes were lost during the tornado.
Ross then talked to the audience via video conference. He said Middle Tennessee is currently ranked 6 nationwide in tornado events or warnings. Our region is also ranked number 11 as a potential place for risk of injury by tornadoes.
The next in turn was Van Camp who presented slides about prevention tips before and during tornadoes.
"The belief that opening the window is a good idea during a tornado is out dated information," said Van Camp. "The tornado will actually open the window for you."
She then explained the differences between a tornado watch and a tornado warning.
A tornado watch is an indication of the possibility of a tornado touching ground. It lasts approximately 6-8 hours. A tornado warning indicates a tornado has been spotted touching ground and lasts 20-30 minutes.
This is the time when people should follow safety guidelines, Van Camp explained.
Van Camp then introduced several severe weather tips in the event of a tornado like protect your body, especially your head, don't stay in a garage or automobile, go to the lowest level or center of the building, hide in closets, bathrooms or hallways and, be surrounded with many walls as possible.
"Many people believe that going underneath a bridge is safe during a tornado," she said. "But the truth is that the wind moves faster in small concentrated places."
She recommended hiding in a ditch as the best option by protecting your head and facing toward the ground.
Thomas presented the statistics of Super Tuesday's tornado outbreak on Feb. 5. There were 33 tornado-related fatalities in Tennessee and 58 deaths in four states during the outbreak.
Thomas said that it was the worst tornado outbreak in 10 months and the worst for the previous five winter seasons. It was the deadliest tornado in Tennessee and Kentucky since 1974.
A Channel 4 exclusive video was also shown to the audience in which a storm chaser got a shot of an unseen tornado spotted in Nashville during the February outbreak.
"What people don't know is that this is the same tornado that later hit Sumner and Macon counties," said Thomas.
The meteorologist team then presented the process that occurs in nature to produce tornadoes as well as how to act in events like flash floods, lighting, and hail.
The audience also had the opportunity to ask questions.
Among those questions were how the Doppler radar works, the differences between a severe storm and a regular storm and more severe weather guidelines.
Spencer also encouraged the audience to get a NOAA weather radio with S.A.M.E technology. The radios can be purchased in many grocery stores and radio suppliers.
Snowbird also played part in the seminar by interacting with the audience, especially with children.
"It is great to be here," said Snowbird. "We are going to have fun and you will have the opportunity to win great gifts with us."
Among the gifts were Channel 4 hats, umbrellas and Snowbird slippers. Most of the audience got a free box of Snowbird's dinnerware at the entrance.
Members of the audience also had the opportunity to meet the weather team members as well as participate in weather-related experiments conducted by Spencer and Thomas.
"I think the seminar was very well done because it was really informative," said Gallatin resident Gail Drury. "I learned a lot of security tips. Kudos Channel 4 for an amazing job."
When asked how she felt about the turnout of the seminar, Spencer said she was really pleased because there were a lot of people who were concerned about understanding.
"They really care about their own safety," she added.
According to www.wsmv.com, Channel 4 Pinpoint Weather Team's next seminar will take place on April 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Bellevue Middle School.
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